Hurricane Katrina documentary, ‘A Reason To Stay’ screening at The Broad Theater

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — With the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, there will be a special screening of a documentary shot during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina.

WGNO’s Kenny Lopez spoke with the married couple who captured all the footage for the documentary while riding out the storm.

“It’s a time marker, everyone refers to it as before Katrina or after Katrina,” Harry Peter Becnel said.

This is the story of during Katrina.

“There are thousands of stories and this is ours,” Becnel said.

Harry Peter Becnel III co-directed the documentary with Janene Knox. Becnel’s wife, Angela took the still photos used in the film.

The documentary, “A Reason To Stay,” tells the story of newlyweds Peter and Angela Becnel who just bought a house on Toulouse and North Rendon in Mid-City, just four days before Hurricane Katrina.

“I felt like we had to stay and protect our house in a sense,” Peter Becnel said.

“We really had no idea it would be this bad,” Angela Becnel said.

“I felt very vulnerable because we didn’t have any money to leave honestly,” Peter Becnel said.

Peter captured all the distress.

“I did three hours of straight footage in and after the storm on a mini DV camera,” he said.

While Angela took the still photos.

“I was capturing nothing but sadness, so at some point I had to put the camera down,” Angela Becnel said.

For them life, which felt like a movie, became a movie.

“We were stuck for three days in flood waters. We were there from Sunday to Wednesday and then on Wednesday we were choppered out. We were lucky enough to have a cousin flying the plane so they brought us straight to Baton Rouge,” Peter Becnel said.

Twenty years later this couple is remembering the connection they felt by helping their neighbors and their continued love for New Orleans.

“You can get through hard times if you believe and trust,” Angela said.

“I think people just want to feel it. Feel what it was about and not try to dissect it. I’m just going to tell my story,” Peter said.

The special screening of “A Reason To Stay,” will take place at The Broad Theater Aug. 29, the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina at 7:00 p.m.

Following the screening there will be a concert at The Broadside with the band, R. Scully & Friends who provided the award-winning soundtrack for the film.

For ticket information.

“A Reason To Stay” was originally released in 2015.

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